T or not a T ?

[Adam]

Originally Posted by jdw3018

And I think this is probably where the disagreement comes in. I would consider the ten players on the court setting up/defending an inbounds play or getting into their designated lane spaces to be participating.

Maybe, just maybe. But....
In the OP, the players are not doing anything but walking towards their bench. No participating going on.
In the case of a violation (or foul, or held ball) and the accompanying dead ball, I'd argue they're not participating here either. If the ball is dead and the clock is stopped, participation has paused for everyone, IMO.

[just another ref]

Situation: Middle of the 4th quarter, team A leads and is running a delay offense with lots of motion. Team B is playing man to man defense, then trapping and trying for steals. A passes out and is not looking to score. This continues for a considerable portion of the 4th quarter, then the ball is knocked out of bounds on the end line. For the throw in, B goes to a zone. Just before he hands the ball to A1, the official thinks that something looks funny about the look of the zone of team B. Upon closer inspection, he sees the problem. It is a 3-3 zone. Does he instruct one of the B players to leave the court. No, he calls a technical foul. The official is certain that no player entered the court during the dead ball. When he combines this knowledge with the sight of all 6 players jockeying for their positions on the court anticipating the actions of players on team A, he considers this participation.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by just another ref

It is a 3-3 zone.

One of the greatest halfcourt defenses in basketball. Personally, I prefer the 2-2-2 fullcourt press. It leads to a lot of turnovers and easy layups.